The breeding colony of Burrowing in Patagonia By Dr. JUAN F. MASELLO and Dr. PETRA QUILLFELDT Parrots and cockatoos have become the most endangered order of in the world during the last few decades; 26% of the 350 species of parrots and cockatoos are at risk of global extinction while another 11% are near threatened. This situation is even worse in Latin America and the Caribbean; 31% of the species are at serious risk of global extinction there. The principal sources of threat arise from loss, fragmentation or degradation of breeding habitat, collection of birds for the live trade, introduction of exotic species, and persecution and hunting. Some key features of their breeding biology also contribute to the fragility of the group, including the long lifespan, breeding systems and colonial nesting. Parrots are also probably the most colourful family of birds, a phenomenon that has no doubt contributed to their persecution and popularity as pets. Burrowing Parrot family at nest entrance. For most parrot species basic biological but is also reported from wooded valleys They have suffered a clear retraction in data is still lacking, even though these are with cliffs and farmland. These birds distribution since the beginning of 19th necessary for identification of extinction occupy the colonies one to two months century. In , the Burrowing Parrot threats, monitoring of populations, before egg laying and leave the breeding has disappeared from the province of evaluation of the conservation measures, site gradually as the young fledge. Adults Córdoba and north of Buenos Aires. The and improvement of captive breeding excavate their own nest burrows by decline in parts of Argentina is due to programs. tunneling into the faces of sandstone, increasing persecution as a crop pest, limestone or earth cliffs. The nesting pairs conversion of grasslands to croplands, and Burrowing Parrots or use burrows that they have dug in previous trapping for the increasing live trade. Patagonian seasons, but they enlarge the burrows every Patagonian Conures, as they are known in year. Each burrow is occupied by a single aviculture, are or were among the most In Argentina, the highly gregarious pair. Burrowing Parrots do not use nesting frequently sold parrots in Europe. In Burrowing Parrot (Cyanoliseus patagonus) material; they deposit their eggs on the addition, projects of further trapping for occurs from the Andean slopes in the sandy bottom of the nest chamber. trade are under consideration. northwest to the Patagonian steppes in the south. It generally inhabits open grassland, They lay one clutch per breeding season. Some key features of their breeding The female incubates the two to five eggs biology also contribute to the fragility of for about 24 days while the male provides the species: long lifespan, a socially and food. The young hatch asynchronously with genetically monogamous breeding system an interval of one to three (usually two) and especially the habit of breeding in large days between subsequent nestlings, and conspicuous colonies, can contribute to generating a size rank at the time of the fragility and decline of the species. It hatching. Nestlings from a brood fledge has serious difficulties in re-colonizing asynchronously, with an interval of two to areas from which it had been displaced, three days. The young remain in the nest making the species extremely fragile in a for about 60 days. After fledging, they are global sense. fed by the adults for approximately four months. Burrowing Parrots have a socially An indication of its fragility of is the and genetically monogamous breeding current status of the Chilean sub-species C. system with intensive care by both parents. p. bloxami (previously C. p. byroni). It is considered at risk of extinction because of Declining ranges its drastic decline: a total of only 3,000 individuals was estimated to exist in the The conservation status and the distribution late 1980s. To our knowledge, only one range of the Burrowing Parrot in Argentina very small colony of the Patagonian sub- were last studied at the end of the 1970s species (C. p. patagonus) is legally and early 1980s. No systematic monitoring protected (Reserva Punta Bermeja, Río has been carried out since. Formerly, these Negro, Argentina). parrots were very common in Argentina, 5 week old chick. but now they are only regionally abundant. Burrowing Parrots are officially considered 12 ■ PsittaScene Volume 15, No 4, November 2003 an agricultural pest (Argentinean National Law of Vegetable Health 6704/63). They damage grapes and olives, fruits of the native mesquite tree ( alba), peaches, pears and other temperate fruits, corn, sunflower and wheat and buds of forest plantations. However, except for some marginal agricultural areas and punctual events, damage is not intense. Despite this, lethal methods of control (such as nest poisoning, massive nesting habitat destruction, roosting tree A flock coming in to land on the cliffs. Burrowing Parrots on power lines close destruction, use of poisoned bait, shooting to the colony. of the birds) were carried out in various This extraordinary world heritage, the Burrowing Parrot colony. In addition, years, without objective quantification of largest known parrot colony of the world, illegal motorbike and four-track races take real damage and adequate consideration of has been seriously threatened during the place along the first and second kilometre alternatives and consequences. last 25 years. The first serious aggression of the colony. to this breeding site has been the spraying Unfortunately, the attitude of a great part of The colony at El Cóndor, of sectors of the colony with Endrin (or the local people is negative with regard to DDT) in an attempt to reduce the number the Burrowing Parrots breeding at El Río Negro of parrots. This has probably been done Cóndor. Local newspapers promote the idea Since 1998, we have been conducting a during several years and the justification at that Burrowing Parrots are a severe pest. study of the breeding biology of Burrowing that time was to protect crops in the region. For most people making holidays at El Parrots at the largest and most important Detailed information about this “control” Cóndor they are just noisy birds that colony of this species. The colony is campaign of the parrots breeding in El disturb them during sunbathing. In some located west of the village El Cóndor (or Cóndor is elusive and the impact on the sectors of the colony, aggression from Villa Marítima El Cóndor or Balneario colony difficult (and very expensive) to holiday makers to adult Burrowing Parrots Massini or La Boca), 30km southeast from assess. Fortunately, this questionable bringing food to the nestlings occur almost Viedma, in the province of Río Negro, method of “population control” stopped in every day in mid-December-January. Local Patagonia, Argentina. The colony covers the early 1980s. police try to prevent people from killing 7.5km of sandstone cliffs. The westernmost birds by throwing stones, but the sector is kilometre of the colony (41º3’S, 62º48’W) The necessity of big and there are few policemen. Local is by far the most densely populated with protection farmers shoot parrots during the breeding 6,750 active nests. The habitat in the season on their private land, supposedly to surroundings of the colony is primarily During the 1990s a sector of the cliff, protect crops. In addition, some local Patagonian steppe. Remarkably, after an between the first and second kilometre of farmers also poison grain in order to kill extensive literature review on parrots the colony, was dynamited for the building birds, and some tourists shoot parrots breeding biology, this population appears to of a pedestrian and car access close to the during the holiday season for entertainment be the largest known colony of parrots in beach down of the cliff (known now as the world. Segunda Bajada del Faro or Bajada de In light of the outlined pressures on the Picoto). We estimate that about 800 nests colony we are trying to find a way to were destroyed during the work. During the legally protect the largest known breeding season 2000-2001 this access for parrot colony of the world from these cars was enlarged. Cars can now reach the and other potential threats. beach directly and a restaurant functions about 50m away from the first nests of the second kilometre of the colony. Very loud music and organised sports events are usual in the sector at the end of the breeding season (January). As a consequence, most of the nests close to both sides of the access were inactive during the following breeding seasons. The colony at El Cóndor is highly disturbed every year in mid-December until January, during the holiday season, when the beach below the cliff of the colony is full of tourists and cars. Cars are authorised to drive along the beach, and hundreds of drivers park as close as 20 meters from the lowest nests of the colony. In this situation adult Burrowing Parrots of several sectors in the first kilometre of the colony can feed their nestlings only at high tide when people and cars disappear from the beach. In a typical weekend of January about Reaching Burrowing Parrot nest by 10,000 tourists visit the village of El climbing. Cóndor and the beach nearby the Juan checking chicks on the cliff face. PsittaScene Volume 15, No 4, November 2003 ■ 13